Part 2

Little Boy lived with such old people they had forgotten what a Birthday Party was, so he said,

“How can I give invitation hearty, Unless I prepare for a Birthday Party?”

To his surprise, the staircase on which he stood, answered,

“If you go up this staircase as like as not You’ll get to the bottom instead of the top.”

Little Boy chuckled as he rattled the pennies in his pocket and said happily,

“Little pennies, dimes will make, Soon I’ll buy my Birthday Cake!”

Before the pennies could be changed into dimes or answer a word, and before Little Boy could get into bed, (for it was his sleepy time) “pitter, patter, pitter, patter” was heard on the staircase and up came Fairy Good-Cheer, saying,

“I need a Birthday Cake I fear, My birthday comes but once a year.”

The Fairies had always been so good to Little Boy that he emptied his pockets of the pennies he had saved for his own Birthday Cake, and Fairy Good-Cheer went off singing,

“When anything you want to know, To the enchanted staircase go.”

Little Boy saved up his pennies again for a week and a day and said,

“Little pennies round and bright, Will you buy me candles for a light?”

Before the pennies could answer a word, “pitter, patter pitter, patter,” was heard on the staircase and up came Fairy Light-Heart saying,

“I must buy eight candles to lend a glow, You’ll lend them to me Little Boy I know.”

As Little Boy handed Fairy Light-Heart the pennies she sang,

“When anything you want to know, To the enchanted staircase go.”

Little Boy saved up pennies again for a week and a day and said,

“Little pennies for a treat, Will you buy some candy sweet?”

Before the pennies could answer, “pitter, patter, pitter, patter” was heard on the staircase and Fairy Sweet-Tooth said as she bounded in,

“All I need is some Birthday Candy, Do you happen to have some handy?”

As Little Boy parted with his pennies again, she went off singing,

“When anything you want to know, To the enchanted staircase go.”

Once more Little Boy saved his pennies and when he had twenty-three he said,

“Little pennies twenty-three, Will you buy a top for me?”

He put his hand up to his ear to listen.

Sure enough, again he heard, “pitter, patter, pitter, patter” and up came Fairy Sing-Song, singing,

“All I need is a musical top, That will spin, and spin and never stop.”

As Little Boy counted out his twenty-three pennies she went off singing,

“When anything you want to know, To the enchanted staircase go.”

Little Boy sighed after the Fairies left him and he went out and sat down on his own staircase saying,

“To-morrow my Birthday will be here, I’ll have no party now I fear.”

Then the enchanted staircase on which he was sitting cried,

“Just go to the bottom, look up and see, The Fairies surprise both you and me.”

Little Boy ran down stairs and looked up.

He saw on the tip top step a wonderful Birthday Cake. It was large and round and had pink and white frosting upon it.

Just then a cheerful voice called,

“Fairy Good-Cheer makes no mistake, She has sent to you a Birthday Cake.”

Then, as Little Boy winked and blinked his eyes to be sure he was not dreaming, a laughing voice called,

“Fairy Light-Heart brings the candles, More than one Boy ever handles.”

There shone candles on every step, big candles, little candles, middle-sized candles, Birthday Candles, red, white and blue candles, ready to light the Birthday Cake.

Then he saw boxes, and boxes of candy, while a sugary voice cried,

“Fairy Sweet-Tooth pile them higher, Of candy, small Boys never tire.”

Little Boy laughed so hard that he rolled right over in a heap on the floor, for the Fairy piled candy right up to the ceiling.

Then a Musical Top began to spin down the staircase singing,

“Fairy Sing-Song’s smile is winning, See, she sets your top a spinning.”

“My Top,” said Little Boy in surprise.

Then all the fairies trooped down stairs and cried,

“’Tis heigh! my hearty, and ho! my hearty, We’ll help you make a Birthday Party.”

Then the most wonderful thing of all happened.

The top step of the enchanted staircase opened.

The Birthday Cake led the way.

The lighted candles went two and two, and the candy boxes followed, while all the time the Musical Top played.

Fairy Good-Cheer and Fairy Sweet-Tooth cried,

“When you give pennies up ’tis true, Surprises sometimes come to you.”

The Musical Top took one of Little Boy’s hands singing,

“We are on the road to Fairyland, We hear a distant Elfin Band, Thither we’ll haste without delay, For the fairies call, ‘Away, away,’ When you feel the touch of the magic hand, You can see the lights of Fairyland.”

Fairy Light-Heart took Little Boy’s other hand singing,

“How shall we ride to Fairyland? Shall we find the realm on sea or land? In that wonderful hour when dreams come true There’s a fairy palace for me and you, I am the Queen you understand, And you are the King of Fairyland.”

In less time than it takes to tell it, the Fairies led Little Boy into Fairyland.

They had a Birthday Party and danced round and round in a ring and for all I know they are dancing yet.

If you ever hear an old staircase go “creak, creak” when you are on it, put your ear close to one of the steps and listen. It may be trying to talk to you and say,

“When anything you want to know, To the enchanted staircase go.”

Whether your staircase is enchanted or not you can never tell until you try it.

LITTLE DWARF COURAGE

Once upon a time when Dot went to visit the Little Dwarfs that live in the woods she stayed all night.

She overslept, and woke at last when they were all at breakfast downstairs. She heard the “Click, click” of their silver spoons.

She knew the Dwarfs would soon go out on their travels so she dressed quickly and came downstairs and said, “Oh Dwarf Courage, please take me with you tonight.”

Then Dwarf Courage held his head on one side and Dwarf Laughter chuckled.

Dwarf Courage replied,

“You may follow up and down, If you will wear a cap and gown.”

Dot said, “I can hardly wait for night, I want to see how you give children courage.”

Dwarf Courage said,

“Miss Dorothy Delia Drusilla Dot, Night time will come as like as not.”

At last evening came, and they started out in cap and gown, Dwarf Courage saying,

“We’ll have to hurry, for it’s said, Some children fear to go to bed.”

What fun they had when they came to town, running up one staircase, after another, helping the children to go happily to bed.

One little boy was afraid after he had gotten to bed and Dwarf Courage pulled aside the curtain and showed him the friendly moon and he went happily to sleep.

One little girl was afraid to stay alone in the dark and Dwarf Courage cried,

“The clock is company for you, Just hear it sing “Cuckoo, cuckoo.”

Dot said, “I never thought before what little ’fraid cats some children are.”

At this, Dwarf Courage turned a backward somersault down the stairs and said,

“Honestly Dot, I will tell you, There are some grown folks scarey too.”

They had hardly gotten outside when they saw an old man walking in the moon-light, “See,” said Dot. “He is really afraid of falling.”

Dot took one hand and Dwarf Courage the other and soon the old man was safe at home.

As they ran along giving every one courage, Dwarf Courage sang,

“They’re scared of rats and scared of mice And often scared of things quite nice, They’re scared at morning, night and noon, They’re scared of faces in the moon, Oh tell me, what would people do, If Little Dwarf Courage were scarey too?”

They ran along through the woods and some one was singing,

“Umbrellas to lend, but none to sell, Umbrellas to mend, come ring my bell.”

The rain was falling, “patter, patter, patter,” and they surely needed an umbrella.

Dot said, “Where is the house?”

Dwarf Courage answered,

“Look for the house, look in the tree, There, a funny old man should be.”

They looked up and saw a cute little house in a tree and an old man stood at the door with umbrellas in each hand.

Dwarf Courage cried,

“See, old, man, we’ve come to borrow, We’ll return them both to-morrow.”

Without a word in reply down sailed two little fairy umbrellas, and as Dot took one and Dwarf Courage took the other, they sailed right through the air to the little wee house in the woods, and Dwarf Laughter had a merry ha, ha, as they sailed in the open window.

DOROTHY ANN AND THE WEE LITTLE MAN

(A THANKSGIVING STORY)

“Little Dorothy Marjorie Ann, Do be thankful if you can,”

called a wee little voice one wintry November evening.

Then a wee little red boot was seen coming down the chimney, and another little red boot, and one of the Wee People soon was skipping merrily on the hearth.

He danced himself nearly out of breath singing,

“I’m a wee little man from far away, I’ll help you keep Thanksgiving Day.”

At this, Dorothy Marjorie Ann scowled and said,

“I’ve nothing to be thankful for, I think I mentioned that before.”

Then the most surprising thing happened.

The Wee Little Man blew a whistle, and the Wee People came tumbling down the chimney, one after another, and the most remarkable thing of all was, not one had a speck of soot on his clothing.

All the fairies were scolding.

The Wee Bed-Time Fairy sang,

“I’m thankful when you go to bed, For I am such a sleepy-head.”

The Mirror Fairy said,

“I’d be thankful you understand, If you liked to wash face and hands.”

The Rubber Fairy in the hall began:

“You know we often spoke before, We’re thankful when we’re off the floor.”

The Toy Fairy called,

“We may be thankful once again, But spent last night, out in the rain.”

The School Bell Fairy sang,

“I’d be thankful as a rule, If you liked to go to school.”

The Waste-Basket Fairy said,

“I’d be thankful since you ask it If you would notice me—the basket.”

The Good-Mannered Fairy sang,

“We will be thankful when Dorothy’s able To keep her elbows off the table.”

At that, Dorothy Marjorie Ann danced and capered about for she had no idea before, that she had anything to do with making the Wee People thankful, and every hour it grew nearer, and nearer Thanksgiving Day.

Soon all the Fairies were dancing and shouting,

“We’re thankful that Dorothy Marjorie Ann, Will try to be happy whenever she can.”

Then the Wee Little Man who first came down the chimney joined hands with her, and they danced up the chimney, off and away, over hill and dale, and all the Wee Fairy People followed them.

Soon they came to a little Wee House.

The table was set for Thanksgiving dinner. Dorothy Marjorie Ann said,

“If I were a maiden like Fairies Wee, Oh my! how thankful then I’d be.”

She did not notice that the Little Wee Man had put his wishing cap on her head, and as they ran on, she began to grow smaller, and smaller, and smaller.

They ran all round the house, and the Fairies crowded round her and said,

“Dorothy Marjorie Ann we see, Has grown so little, she’s wee, wee.”

The Fairies snatched off the wishing cap just in time or there would have been no Dorothy Marjorie Ann left at all!

They all trooped in to dinner, and every hour it grew nearer and nearer Thanksgiving Day.

They sat at a table and Dorothy Marjorie Ann clapped her hands as down sailed some sliced turkey on her plate.

At this very minute the Wee People set up a cry,

“Take it away, take it away, She does not like Thanksgiving Day.”

Away sailed the turkey, plate and all.

Down sailed a fine piece of pumpkin pie on her plate.

Just as she put her fork into it the Wee People clapped their hands and sang,

“We’ll do this to Dorothy Marjorie Ann, We’ll put her in the baking pan, She looks rosy, nice and sweet, And almost good enough to eat, We think we’ll take her far away, And have a fine Thanksgiving Day.”

“Take it away, take it away, She makes no one thankful here to-day.”

The plate sailed away as before.

Down came a plate with cranberry sauce and cookies, but she had not even taken a bite when the Wee People called,

“Take it away, take it away, She’s never thankful we heard her say.”

Away sailed the plate, and Dorothy Marjorie Ann was so disappointed, that she ran to the door and put on her wishing cap and said,

“That dinner was a great surprise, I want to be the proper size.”

She grew just as big as she was before, and the Little People crowded around her and tugged at her dress singing.

At this very minute Uncle Phil came to the rescue, singing,

“My little girl you took a nap, In Uncle’s funny smoking cap.”

Dorothy Marjorie Ann winked and blinked her eyes; sure enough she did have a funny cap on, and she cried,

“I am more thankful than I can say, That I came home for Thanksgiving Day.”

“Where have you been?” asked Father as they sat down to eat turkey and pie and cranberry sauce.

“Where have you been?” asked Mother.

Dorothy Marjorie Ann said,

“I am thankful as can be, I don’t live with people Wee.”

Uncle Phil knew a few things himself about the Wee People so he said,

“She went over the bridge I understand, And met the Wee People in Fairyland.”

After that Dorothy Marjorie Ann found 101 things to be thankful for and made all the Wee People thankful.

“I am Dorothy Marjorie Ann, I’ll do all the good every day I can, When I work or play, I’ll always say I am thankful for Thanksgiving Day.”